The Peculiarities of Soviet Journalists’ Work during the Great Patriotic War: a Historical and Chronological Analysis

The history of Soviet journalism during the Great Patriotic War has been fairly well researched. Studies on the history of journalism typically analyze how military events were covered in the media and the picture of the war that journalists created. However, the experience of Soviet war correspondents during the war has been scarcely studied. Th is article proposes a different approach to the analysis of the accumulated historical material, specifically: it examines the emotional and psychological state of journalists at war, the peculiarities of their work and daily life. The empirical basis of the research includes both the wartime diaries and the memoirs of Soviet journalists written in the postwar period. A broad array of material has been analyzed, allowing the structure of the study to focus on the war correspondent themselves. The study identifies a range of issues faced by war correspondents during the Great Patriotic War, such as professional problems of selecting information for publication, specific methods of gathering material, as well as ethical dilemmas, and the emotional overloads experienced by journalists. The most informative source for this research was the memoirs of the chief editor of the central military newspaper Red Star, D.I. Ortenberg. His focus was on the working conditions, impressions, and difficulties faced by journalists when selecting topics for publication and interpreting the events they encountered. To a certain extent, the portrayal of their own work in wartime is reflected in the correspondents’ publications, although during military actions, many facts could not be written about due to censorship or ideological restrictions. This study also addresses the topic of “truthfulness” — the truth about the war, as understood by journalists, participants, and witnesses of the events. The research is relevant for analyzing the work of contemporary Russian war correspondents, despite historical differences. It highlights a range of professional, ethical, and psychological issues faced by journalists who carry out their duties in wartime conditions or conflict situations.